BEIJING (SCMP): German companies are hiring private detectives to investigate whether employees on long-term sick leave are genuinely ill, viewing it as an effective way to dismiss unproductive workers during economic hardship.
The practice has sparked a heated discussion on social media in China.
One such private detective agency, Lentz Group, located near Frankfurt’s main railway station, is experiencing a surge in business in this niche market, according to AFP.
Marcus Lentz, the founder of the agency, revealed that the company receives approximately 1,200 commissions annually, around double the figure of a few years earlier.
According to the federal statistics agency Destatis, German workers averaged 15.1 days of sick leave in 2023, up from 11.1 days in 2021.
This high rate of absenteeism is estimated to have reduced Germany’s GDP by 0.8 per cent in 2023, contributing to an economic contraction of 0.3 per cent.
The TK, one of Germany’s major statutory health insurers, also reported a record high average of 14.13 sick days among the workers it covers in the first nine months of 2024.
According to data from the Organization of Economic Development (OECD), Germans missed an average of 6.8 percent of their working hours in 2023 due to illness, performing worse than other European Union (EU) countries such as France, Italy, and Spain.
One possible reason for such a high rate of sick leave is the convenience of obtaining medical approval for leave due to post-pandemic policies.
During the Covid-9 pandemic, Germany introduced a system that allowed employees with mild symptoms to obtain sick leave certificates over the phone.
This has led to widespread misuse post-pandemic, with some people feigning illnesses such as coughing or faking symptoms during phone consultations to secure sick leave.
In Germany, sick employees are entitled to a full salary from their employer for up to six weeks per year. After this period, health insurance institutions take over by paying sickness benefits.
Faced with financial burdens, some companies are turning to private detectives for investigations, viewing it as a worthwhile investment to address employee inefficiencies, despite the potential hefty costs.
“There are just more and more companies that do not want to put up with it any more. If someone has 30, 40 or sometimes up to 100 sick days in a year, then at some point they become economically unattractive for the employer,” Lentz told AFP.
The cost of hiring such services was undisclosed.
Lentz recalled cases where employees on long-term sick leave were helping out at family businesses or renovating their houses.
However, gathering evidence does not always lead to successful dismissals.
For instance, a bus driver in Italy was fired after he was caught singing and playing the piano at a bar during sick leave, purportedly for anxiety.
However, Italy’s Supreme Court ruled that such activities helped alleviate his condition and ordered his reinstatement.
Experts also caution that such services may not address the causes of high sick leave rates, which have increased due to legitimate issues like rising respiratory illnesses, increased work stress, and growing mental health challenges after the pandemic.
The news has sparked a lively online discussion in China, where sick leave generally requires deductions from salaries based on tenure at the company.
One online observer said: “Wait, sick leave in Germany does not deduct from performance bonuses or year-end rewards? What a dream.”
“In China, sick leave requires a medical certificate and deducts part of your salary. If this is the case in Germany, then problem solved,” said another. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
